Women corporators turn out to be more confident

THANE: Woman corporators in Thane are doing everything to bust the myth that the fairer sex stays in minority during civic discussions and debates.
Now, many of women corporators are pulling all stops to bridge the widening gap between male and female participation in standing committee and general body meets. Several have started taking lessons in personality development and joined other grooming classes.The idea is to accumulate some confidence in public speaking and art of oratory.
"Many of them have been depending on their husbands for even the most basic work. The 50% reservation has just remained on paper and not put in to good use by women councillors in Thane. Now these classes are helping us reclaim that lost credibility and bust the myth that women are no match to their male peers,'' said Shiv Sena corporator Meenakshi Shinde.
Another lady corporator agreed that women corporators in the House have become more confident after attending these classes and many of them have started speaking up in the debates and conversations that take place in the general body meetings.
Thane has a total of 65 women members in the civic house, as a result of the 50% reservation law. But many don't participate either in the house or outside of it in debating issues. A recent study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in municipalities and councils in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) found that out of 100 women corporators studied, a majority admitted to not having understanding of the subject and several others complained of not having access to information.